EOP Trailblazer, Dr. Tom M. Rivera
Dr. Tom M. Rivera, or “Dr. Tom,” as he is commonly referred to, has over 47 years of experience in the field of education, including teaching as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching at the elementary school level, the community college and college level, and serving as a counselor at San Bernardino Valley College. For almost 40 years, he was a California State University, San Bernardino administrator, where he initiated numerous programs designed to motivate underrepresented students to enroll in and graduate from college.
In summer of 1972, the Dean of Students of California State University, San Bernardino, Dr. Kenton Monroe, recruited Dr. Rivera to become the director of EOP. The university pioneered EOP as an integral part of the Student Services Division. It was also agreed, at the time, that the EOP program would be housed in the division’s building, rather than in the trailers that held special programs at the time.
Dr. Rivera served as director of EOP for approximately 25 years. Those years were consistently characterized by the growth and progress in outreach, retention, and advisement services at EOP that resulted in college completions for hundreds of students.
He describes the years 1972 to 1981 as “The Golden Age” for EOP at CSUSB. During this period, EOP and staff had become mainstreamed members of the University community. In 1973, Dr. Rivera worked together with staff to develop a proposal that was funded for an Upward Bound Project, which was the first ever Federal grant received by the university.
In addition, from the mid and late 70s, Dr. Rivera’s department was given the title of Educational Support Services and was made responsible for the following programs: EOP, Summer Transition and Enrichment Program, Student Assistance In Learning Program, Veterans Cost of Instruction Program, Student Affirmative Program, Students With Disabilities Program, Children’s Center, and the Campus Learning Center. In the late ‘80’s, EOP and the other support services were placed under the title of Undergraduate Studies.
Dr. Rivera served as the University’s Academic Grievance Coordinator, as a member or chair of campus-wide committees, and as the representative to community and university advisory committees and boards. This involvement added to the recognition of EOP and the department’s other support services by area communities and its acceptance as an integral part of the university.
Dr. Tom Rivera believes EOP is a response to an inequitable economic system that depends on keeping people in poverty in order to make life affordable for the middle and upper class, a response to a social order in which those perceived as the most worthy and those in power prefer to protect the status quo, and a response to the failure of an educational system fraught with low funding, few resources, and far too many insufficiently prepared teachers and administrators.
He hopes that the EOP program will be rich in funds and human resources will continue to carry students away from poverty, and low expectations, will continue to empower students with degrees, knowledge, and confidence, and will continue to be the welcoming program for an eventual richer, happier life.